Croymans calls them "semi-ruggedized laptops," where hard drives are padded and the outer shell is harder than most consumer notebooks.

Then Croymans looked for a way to transmit information from the county's 911 dispatch center directly to those Toughbooks.

One option was to base the system on radio frequency data modems, which broadcast via a transmitter tower that would need to be installed. The modems cost about $5,000. A complete rollout, with tower, would cost about $1 million.

Yet the modems transmitted data at a painstaking 19.2 kilobits per second, about one-third the speed of most dial-ups.

So Croymans turned to a developing technology called wireless cellular modems, which transmit information over the Internet using cellular networks.

"Those cost about [$200 after rebate] and they receive data at 153 kilobits per second," he said.

After driving every block in the county, testing coverage with modems from the major providers, Croymans decided on Verizon Wireless Aircards.

"They had complete coverage of our county," he said. "T-Mobile only covered 50 percent and AT&T could not offer unlimited usage, which is a big deal for us."

Here's how the department uses its new wireless technology, which was rolled out about six months ago.

The control center dispatches officers by sending information directly to their laptops.

"They can pull up all of the dispatcher's notes, see what other squad cars are doing and send e-mails to each other," Croymans said. "They can see all the crime that's happening in the area in an instant, and look up all the past calls on an address."

The computer also reports back to the 911 center, and supervisors can see how long a call takes.

"If they've been at a stop too long, the system sends out a warning to the dispatcher to verbally check on them. Other patrol cars in the area are told to roll backup if they don't hear from him."

With the wireless cards, officers can also browse the Web and receive faxes in their car.

"We can even send entire [photographic] lineups into the field," Croymans said. "With the million-dollar system, it was too slow to send photos. Now the officers can even [click into] the Motor Vehicle Bureau and get license plates and vehicle photos."

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Cellular data cards aren't just for pros

The St. Joseph County Police Department deployed the same wireless cards that are available to consumers. Each of the major wireless service providers sell the cards, with most priced around $100; Verizon's high-speed Aircard is about $200 after a rebate.

"We use these cards on a police level, but there's no reason a consumer couldn't use them to get their e-mail wirelessly or run their business on their laptops," said Brent Croymans, a lieutenant in the police department. "They can even use them at home [instead of a fixed, high-speed Internet connection]."